


I'll Always Wait For You

by Skeleton_Keyes



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay, Love Confessions, M/M, Missing Persons, Pining, Reunions, Stormpilot, mlm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:28:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22225645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeleton_Keyes/pseuds/Skeleton_Keyes
Summary: Finn and Poe are best friends, have have been for ages. But one night, when they're out together, Finn says he needs to tell Poe something, but before he gets the chance, he disappears. Poe searches the galaxy for him, waiting, and waiting, and waiting..
Relationships: Finn - Relationship, Poe Dameron & Finn, Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Leaving a Light On

A cacophonous noise echoed off the walls of the small tavern. Glasses being slammed down on tables, barks of laughter, dishes clinking together, and underneath it all was the faint sound of music. Poe was barely able to hear his companion over all the noise, but he didn’t care, he wasn’t really paying attention anyhow. He rested his cheek on his fist, his drink on the table in front of him. He was caught up in looking at the man across from him who was retelling a story from his days as a stormtrooper. Poe’s eyes were locked onto Finn’s lips, his gaze soft and distant.

“Poe?  _ Poe?”  _

Poe was yanked back down from his daydream, shaking his head. “Oh um, sorry I got distracted.” he awkwardly brought his glass to his lips and took a shallow sip.

“Were you even listening?” Finn chuckled, taking a deep sip of his own drink.

“Yes?” his voice raised way to high for him to be telling the truth, he was known to be a terrible liar, at least when it came to Finn.

Finn flashed a smile, throwing his head back and letting out a cackle. “I kind of figured, but that’s okay, it was kind of a boring story anyway.” he reached across the table and placed his hand over Poe’s. “Listen, I have something to tell you.” he muttered, his eyes stuck on table.

Poe pushed back his chair, his face heating up. He needed to hurry to the bathroom to get himself together, he just needed to compose himself. He didn’t know what it was about Finn, but he could never keep his cool, which was the one thing he was supposed to be good at. “Oh I’ve just got to use the bathroom really quick then I’ll be right back, okay?”

He scurried away, weaving his way through the random tables scattered about the tavern.

Finn frowned, staring at his hand where Poe’s use to be. His attention was caught by some shadowy figures at the doorway. He swore under his breath, looking back at Poe who was already fading away into the commotion of the bar. “Please..just give me more time.” he looked back at the figures at the door who were whispering something to each other. The two men flanking who appeared to be the leader spread out and began searching each table. Finn took a deep breath and stood up, glancing one last time in the direction that his friend wandered off in before he made his way towards the back door and slipped out.

Poe took one last look in the mirror before he exited the bathroom and strode towards their table, he stopped, pressing his lips together into a tight line when he noticed that Finn was gone. He plopped down in his seat and clasped his hands together, bouncing his leg impatiently. He figured he was just getting them another round of drinks, or maybe he got a call, or maybe he had to use the bathroom too and he just didn’t notice that he passed him on the way back. Right? That had to be it, Right?

Poe waited, and he waited, and he waited a bit longer. He waited till the very last patron stumbled out of the tavern and into the night. He waited until the bartender yelled “Last call.” and he was forced to leave. But even then, he waited outside, thinking maybe he would come back. But he never did, not for 9 months did he come back. And during those long, long months, Poe waited. But while he waited, he looked. He traveled the galaxy, searching for him, in every nook and cranny, talking to everyone he possibly could. He kept waiting, making sure to leave a light on every night in case he wandered home. 

* * *

Poe went into town, like he did every morning to see if there was any new information and to try and sell something to the local merchant who always hung around. He trudged down the winding path that led to the local shops and stores. His shawl fluttered behind him as he turned his face down against the wind, he pulled the cloth up around his dirty beard to keep the dirt from getting into his mouth. BB-8 rolled along beside him on the bumpy dirt path, beeping in a distressed manor every time he got blown back by the wind. 

As he got closer, the noise of different peddlers and merchants yelling at potential buyers drifted towards him, growing louder and louder. The path spilled out into a clearing filled with various parts and tools strewn about. A few small ships were parked at the edge of the clearing, and at the center was a large crowd gathered around something. He figured it was some sort of impromptu auction that happened quite frequently. 

He saw an unfamiliar silhouette approaching the crowd, he turned to study it closer. As the figure got closer, the sun illuminated what appeared to be the face of a man. His face was mostly covered by a dark mask, but between his hood and the mask, dark brown skin poked out.

Poe felt his heart jump, he shook his head and walked passed him, glancing down to make sure BB-8 was still following him.

“Poe..” he heard a deep, but familiar voice say from behind him.

He stopped in his tracks, turning his head slightly as if perking his ears up like a dog. He shook his head once more, sure he was just hearing things.

“Poe, I think this belongs to you..” 

Poe turned around and he was met with a that same person he had passed before, the same person who had made his heart skip a beat. 

The man reached up and pulled off his mask, revealing the face of his best friend, Finn.

Poe shakily pulled down the wrap around his face, his eyes wide.

“It can’t be..” he looked at him from across the crowd.

“Are you going to come get this?” Finn asked, a smirk on his face. 

  
  



	2. How could you leave?

Poe stared at him, shock clouding his mind. “F-Finn..?” he asked softly, his eyes burning as tears started to well up.

“Sorry for standing you up.” Finn flashed him a smile, forcing a shallow chuckle.

Poe started towards him, slowly at first, before he began running. The crowd was starting to disperse, a barrier of people between him and Finn. He pushed his way through, stumbling over the discarded parts littered about. He fought back tears, water warping his vision, He finally saw Finn, who was wading through the sea of people towards him.

“Finn!” he called, his voice breaking.

“I’m over here, Poe, I’m coming!” he cried, sounding exasperated and out of breath.

Poe lost his footing and was launched forward, he shut his eyes and stuck out his hands to brace himself. He hit something solid, but not the ground. He felt someone's arms wrap around him, pulling him up.

He opened his eyes and looked up to find Finn, gazing down at him, his forehead beaded with sweat, his chest rising and falling quickly and shallowly.

“Finn..I can’t..How did you..” Poe stood himself up, cupping Finn’s face in his hands and examining him.

Finn gently laid his hands over his friends, leaning into his touch. “It’s..It’s a really long story. Is there somewhere near here we could go? I was told I’d find you here and that you live pretty close by.” 

“Oh yeah, my place is just down the road, come on.” Poe dropped his hands and pointed towards the path he had just came from. He started towards it, but stopped for a second. “Wait!” he spun around, searching the ground underneath him. His eyes landed on BB-8 who was sitting pretty still, looking content. He let out a sigh, “Alright you two, let’s get going.” he made his way down the path, leading the way, but falling back to stay next to Finn.

They walked in silence, glancing at each other every so often. Poe sniffled, biting his lip, he had to ask, it’s been 9 months since he’d seen him, he had to ask.

“Finn..Where have you been?” he asked quietly, making sure to look straight ahead as he spoke.

“Poe, I said it’s a long story..But I suppose we’ve got lots of time don’t we?” he sighed.

“Well, to be honest with you I got caught up in some pretty bad stuff..I knew we weren’t doing well with money, so I decided to get into some bounty hunting and other little side jobs. I ended up going into debt pretty bad and..” he paused, taking a deep breath and shaking his head.

“I didn’t want you getting hurt, they were closing in on me, and that night I knew they’d be coming for me. I knew they’d find me. And they did, that’s why I had to leave, Poe. I’m sorry I didn’t..” he cut himself off, his head falling.

“Finn why didn’t you just tell me? I could have helped you.” Poe frowned, side stepping closer to him.

“It wasn’t your responsibility, it was mine. I didn’t want you involved.” Finn instinctively moved away from him, shrinking in on himself.

They approached Poe’s home, BB-8 beeping happily and speeding up ahead of them. “This is me.” Poe motioned towards his house, his voice brittle. He picked up his pace and walked ahead of him, trying to make sure that he couldn’t see his face. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, making a b line towards the kitchen. 

“Do you want something to eat? To drink?” he asked, just wanting a distraction.

“Oh um, I guess maybe some tea or something.” Finn responded, studying the room he was in. 

It was small, but in a cozy sort of way. An overstuffed chair sat in the middle of the room in front of a television. In front of the chair was a ragged and frayed carpet that looked like it had seen a few too many spills and tracks of mud. 

His eyes wandered around the room, making sure to study everything carefully, from the paintings on the walls, to the plates still left on the small table next to the chair. He eventually landed on a very messy looking desk which caught his attention. He meandered over to it flipping on the small lamp that sat in the corner. The light spread over numerous documents, fliers, pictures, newspaper clippings, and notes. On the walls were pictures of the two of them together, the edges worn from being held too much. He felt guilt spread throughout him like poison. His heart burned in his chest, the more he looked, the more it ached.

“I never stopped looking for you.”

Finn turned around and found Poe watching him, two cups of tea in his hands. “Poe I-”

“I waited for you Finn. I was prepared to wait forever for you.” Poe set the cups down on the side table. “Finn I went everywhere for you. I talked to pretty much anyone I could find. I almost got myself killed just to see if I couldn’t find another lead on where you went. I thought you  _ died _ Finn. But I never gave up on you. I thought someone took you from me, I thought..” Poe took a step closer, his gaze intense. “I thought I had to come save you.” he shook his head taking a step back. His expression changed from heartbroken and sorrowful, to disgusted and furious. “But you..you  _ left  _ me Finn. All by myself. For 9  _ fucking  _ months, you left me alone, thinking you were dead. You couldn’t have written me? You couldn’t have tried to contact me? Do you know who I am Finn? I’m one of the greatest pilots in the  _ fucking  _ galaxy, I could have helped you. But you ran away from me. You abandoned me.” Tears streamed down his face, his hands balled into fists.

“Poe I..I just thought..” Finn stumbled over his words, trying to search for some kind of reasonable explanation. 

“No, you don’t get to just think. You fucking left, and you have to own up to that.” Poe walked over to his desk, his back turned to Finn. He closed his eyes, putting his palms flat on the desk and hunching over. He turned his face up towards the wall and opened his eyes. He began to shake with anger and sadness, never in all these months had it occurred to him that Finn might have left him. That he willingly walked away from him after all these years of knowing each other, after everything they had been through. 

In a fit of furry he ripped the pictures off the wall, the tears coming hard and fast. He crumpled them up and cast them to the floor beneath him. In one swift motion, he swiped all the papers of his desk with an irate grunt.

He stopped, hanging his head, his anger quickly being drowned by sadness. His body was wracked with choked out sobs, his legs weak.

Finn quickly rushed to his side, putting an arm around him to support him. “Poe, you’re right, you have every right to be upset with me, I’m so sorry I did this to you.” he guided him to the chair and gently sat him down. He took a step back and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“Listen Poe..I messed up, I messed up bad. And I’m sorry I ran away from you. I was scared, I didn’t want to lose you, I couldn’t lose you.” he sighed, his shoulders slumping. “But that’s an excuse, I see that now. I was--I  _ am--  _ a coward. But I’m not going to run anymore I promise, all I want is you Poe. You’re all I’ve ever wanted.” he shrugged, leaning back on the balls of his feet.

They sat in silence for a few moments, both refusing to look at the other. 

Poe heard something roll across the floor and felt something bump into his leg. He looked down to find his trust droid, BB-8 looking up at him. The droid turned to look at Finn who looked rather dejected, then looked back at him. Poe raised an eyebrow, confused. BB-8 made a low beeping noise at him and moved his head in the direction of Finn. Poe finally looked up at him, and seeing the expression on his face, any anger he had left melted away. “Hey..Finn.” he stood up and moved towards him, reaching for his hands.

“Finn, look, we all make mistakes. And I know you were just trying to protect me. How about we just start fresh, huh? I have a room for you here, in case you ever found your way back to me. You can live with me here, and it can be just like it used to be, how about that?”

Finn looked up at him, his cheeks wet with tears, but a soft smile on his face. “I’d really love that, Poe. Oh, and I never gave you your jacket back, do you want it?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Of course not, keep that, I wouldn’t want you getting cold now would I?” Poe chuckled, pulling him in for a tight hug.

They remained embraced for a little longer than would be normal for two people who are just friends. Poe pulled away, but lingered for a little while longer. 

Finn cleared his throat, stepping away from him and heading towards the staircase. “So I’m guessing that my room is somewhere up here?”

“Oh um, yeah.” Poe felt heat in his cheeks rise up, he blinked hard, trying to compose himself. He decided it would be best if they just ignored what happened. 

Poe led him up the stairs. “Yours is right across the hall from mine, so if you ever need anything just holler.” he said over his shoulder.

When they got to the top of the stairs, Poe reached for a door on the left and swung it open. “This is yours.” he stepped aside, gesturing for him to go inside.

Finn entered the room, looking around and finding it that it was quite nice. Clean sheets on a freshly made bed, a nightstand with a humble bedside lamp. The walls had a few tasteful pieces of art and a television at the foot of his bed.

“I uhh..I made sure that it was always clean, just in case.” Poe stood awkwardly in the doorway, scratching the back of his neck.

“It’s perfect Poe, thank you.” Finn turned around and tightly embraced him, squeezing him a little too tightly.

Poe didn’t mind, though, he melted into his touch. “It’s no problem..” he whispered, not wanting him to let go. 

“Really, Poe, you didn’t have to do all this for me, especially after everything I’ve done.” he pulled away and looked him in the eye, his gaze soft and loving.

Poe quickly looked away, his face burning. “It’s really no problem, you’re my best friend after all.” he shrugged slightly.

Finn grinned. “Poe and Finn, back at it again!” he giggled like a little school girl. “I can’t wait to tear up this galaxy with you, again.” he gave his a swift pat on the shoulder. “Well, I’m going to get settled, I’ll see you for dinner?”

Poe nodded, smiling back at him. “Yeah, for sure.” he turned around, pausing, before making his way back down the stairs.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Finn! Dinner is ready!” Poe called up the stairs, his pink apron still tied around his waist.

Finn through on some boxers and Poe’s jacket and headed downstairs to the kitchen. “Oooh, something smells delicious.” he turned the corner and spotted Poe at the stove. He tried stifling his laughter, letting out a snort. “Nice apron.” he muttered, snickering to himself.

“Hey! This apron is cute, and I found it for free.” Poe turned around, his eyes narrow, pointing a spatula at him. “Now sit down.” he pointed towards the table which already had plates and silverware laid out.

“Hey I could have helped you lay this stuff out, you know, I was just taking a nap.” 

“Oh, you'll be helping later, but it’s your first night back.” Poe switched off the stove and picked up a steaming pot, setting it down on the table. “Soups on.” he smiled, sitting down across the table from him.

They both ate, slowly gaining the same energy they had before Finn left. Once they’ve finished, they both help clean up the dishes, splashing each other with water and whipping each other with wet towels. By the time they’re done, they’re both sweaty, faces red from laughter. Poe takes of his apron and hangs it up.

“So, I suppose..it’s bed time, huh?” Poe suggested, quietly.

“Yeah, I suppose it is..”

They both fell silent, not wanting to leave, but neither wanting to say what they were thinking either.

Poe took a step towards him, getting close enough to feel his breath on his skin. “Well, we don’t have to..” he whispered, his fingers dancing over Finn’s.

“Yeah...we don’t really do we..” Finn felt his breath catch in his throat, his heart pounding.

“But um-” Poe snapped his hands back and moved away from him. “We probably should, it’s been a long night..” he mumbled, clasping his hands together and keeping his back towards him.

“Oh, yeah you’re probably right.” Finn slowly started towards the door, stopping on the threshold. He glanced behind him, one last time, but when Poe remained quiet, he made his way back upstairs for the night.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,  _ stupid. _ ” Poe hit the heel of his hand against his forehead. “You were so close, but you pussied out.” he sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Oh well, maybe next time.”

He turned out all the lights in the kitchen and the living room and trudged upstairs to his bedroom. He hesitated outside Finn’s door, listening for any sort of noise inside. Nothing.

He entered his room and gently clicked it shut, flopping down on his bed, and promptly passing out for the rest of the night.

They both slept soundly, each having dreams that involved the other, plastering a slight smile on their faces as they slept.


End file.
